Touch down at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and step into the clear mountain air with Mount Meru on the horizon. Meet your driver and travel by private/shared vehicle to Arusha—about 55 km, typically one hour—watching smallhold farms, acacia-dotted plains and lively roadside stalls slide by.

After check-in, the rest of the day is yours. Ease into Tanzania at your own pace: take a gentle stroll in the neighbourhood, enjoy a swim if your hotel has a pool, or sip a cool drink while the afternoon light softens over the gardens. As evening draws in, sit down to dinner and meet your tour guide for a relaxed briefing—routes, wildlife highlights and what to expect on your upcoming safari.

Overnight: Arusha (hotel).

After an early breakfast, depart around 06:00 with a packed lunch for the drive to Marangu Gate (≈1,860 m). Complete the park entry formalities, meet your mountain guide, and step beneath the rainforest canopy: giant ferns, moss-draped trunks and the steady riffle of a stream set the rhythm as the trail begins to climb.

The path rises steadily for 3–4 hours (pace-dependent) to Mandara Hut at ≈2,700 m. From here, a short spur leads to the rim of the Maundi Crater—a small volcanic cone that, on clear days, frames sweeping views toward Mawenzi and Kibo. Break for your picnic, breathe the cool mountain air, and soak up the upper forest’s hush before starting your descent.

Descend to Marangu Gate, meet your vehicle and return to Arusha. Evening to unwind—dinner and overnight at your hotel after a rewarding day on Africa’s highest mountain.

Overnight: Arusha (hotel).

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, then set the pace for a free day in Arusha—browse craft markets, sample fresh-roasted coffee or simply unwind by the pool. Alternatively, add an optional day exploring Arusha National Park, a compact reserve rich in scenery and wildlife.

Optional — Arusha National Park Day Experience

Morning pick-up from your lodge and drive to the park for entry formalities. Begin with a guided nature walk in the lush montane forest—listen for turacos and trogons, and watch for blue monkeys and striking black-and-white colobus. Continue by 4×4 on a relaxed game drive across the park’s three contrasting areas: the Ngurdoto Crater, the Momella Lakes (often with flamingos) and the slopes of Mount Meru. Sightings commonly include giraffe and buffalo, with wide horizons and forested ravines offering superb photo stops. A picnic lunch is enjoyed at a scenic site before an afternoon loop and return to Arusha.

Dinner at the hotel and overnight in Arusha.

After breakfast, set out for Materuni, a traditional Chagga village tucked on the verdant lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro (≈83 km / ~2.5 hrs each way, road and weather permitting). On arrival, follow your local guide along a scenic footpath—about 40 minutes—through gardens and montane forest toward the thrum of the Materuni Waterfall.

The cascade plunges roughly 80 metres into an emerald pool, mist curling over ferns and mossy rock. Pause for photos and, if conditions allow, enjoy a refreshing swim at the base. Along the way, hear stories of Chagga daily life, traditional crops and the plants that thrive in this fertile belt around Kilimanjaro.

Return to Arusha by late afternoon. Evening at leisure followed by dinner and overnight at your hotel.

After breakfast, bid farewell to Arusha and drive south-west to Tarangire National Park (≈2.5–3 hrs, road/traffic dependent). Switch to a custom 4×4 and set off on a full-day game drive across rolling savannah studded with ancient baobab trees. Tarangire is famed for its substantial elephant herds and superb general wildlife—zebra, wildebeest, buffalo and predators move between woodlands and wide, shimmering marshes.

Lifeblood of the ecosystem, the Tarangire River draws animals from far and wide in the dry months, concentrating sightings along its bends and sandy banks. Expect classic East African vistas, dramatic skies and long lenses working overtime. A packed picnic lunch is included and enjoyed at a designated site within the park.

By late afternoon, exit the game circuits and transfer to your Tarangire area accommodation. Evening at leisure, followed by dinner and overnight in the park vicinity.

After breakfast, set out across the Great Rift Valley landscapes toward the legendary Serengeti. The drive (≈190 km / ~3.5 hrs, route and track conditions permitting) trades Tarangire’s baobab-studded plains for sweeping grasslands, scattered kopjes and wide skies that seem to run forever.

On arrival, complete park formalities, check in and take time to unwind. Enjoy a relaxed lunch, freshen up, and savour the anticipation—tomorrow is a full day devoted to game driving on one of Africa’s greatest wildlife stages.

Evening at leisure followed by dinner and overnight in the Serengeti.

Dawn paints the endless plains gold as the Serengeti wakes—distant whoops of hyena, the chatter of weavers in acacias, a blush of light over scattered kopjes. Savour an unhurried breakfast or, for a truly elevated start, lift off on an optional hot-air balloon at first light and watch the savannah unfold below.

Mid-morning, head out in a custom 4×4 for an unbroken day on the tracks. Your guide will work the valleys, riverlines and open short-grass to find the action—elephant families in the shade, lion draped on granite, alert cheetah scanning the horizon, and great skeins of wildebeest and zebra when the movements are in. Lunch can be taken as a picnic in the bush or at your base, depending on the day’s sightings and group preference.

Return before dusk to your Serengeti base for dinner and overnight, the sky deepening to a field of stars and the bush choir beginning anew.

After breakfast, bid the Serengeti’s wide horizons farewell and travel southeast toward the rim of the legendary Ngorongoro Crater (≈145 km / ~3.5 hrs, road and wildlife-stop dependent). Cool air and misted forest herald the highlands as you approach one of Africa’s greatest natural theatres.

Complete park formalities, then descend the steep, forested slope to the crater floor. The landscape opens into a mosaic of open savannah, mature woodland and a permanent alkaline lake, all ringed by towering walls rising more than 600 m. Keep eyes peeled in the descent forest for bright turacos and other highland birdlife before the plain reveals large gatherings of herbivores—zebra, wildebeest, buffalo—and their attending predators.

In the late afternoon, ascend the rim and continue to Karatu (≈45 km / ~1.5 hrs). Settle in for the evening—dinner and overnight in the Karatu area.

After breakfast, travel south to the lively village of Mto wa Mbu on the approach to Lake Manyara National Park (≈28 km / ~35 mins). This fertile Rift Valley pocket is famed for its small banana groves, paddy fields, and a mosaic of produce farms fed by underground springs.

With your local guide, wander through the food market—mounds of red chillies, pyramids of tomatoes, fragrant spices—and then along village lanes to meet growers and artisans. Visit a simple banana-beer stop to learn how the brew is made and sample regional varieties. A tasty lunch is included, showcasing fresh valley ingredients and classic Swahili flavours.

Arrive in Arusha by late afternoon. Evening at leisure, followed by dinner and overnight.

Enjoy breakfast* at your accommodation, then meet your driver at the indicated time** for the road transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport (≈55 km / ~1 hour, traffic and road conditions permitting). As you leave the highland coffee slopes behind, take a last look at the Rift Valley vistas and reflect on your northern Tanzania adventure.

*Depending on your flight schedule and hotel service times, the included breakfast may not be available.
**Your exact pick-up time will be advised locally based on flight details and traffic expectations.